From the glam-punk of Handbag to the ultra-mp Steve Elg, award-wng gay mic historian Darryl W Bullock picks out ep cuts to play at this year’s Pri celebratns
Contents:
- “GAY GAELS” WHO HAVE ENRICHED IRELAND’S HISTORY AND CULTURE FOR THE WORLD
- THE FIRST IRISH GAY SONG
- RED PETERS - THE TWO GAY IRISHMEN LYRICS
- IRISH AND GAY LYRICS
“GAY GAELS” WHO HAVE ENRICHED IRELAND’S HISTORY AND CULTURE FOR THE WORLD
* irish gay song *
The spirs'll flow and we'll be gay, we'll fill your hearts wh joy. The spirs'll flow and we'll all be gay, and we'll fill our hearts wh joy. The bt thg the Irish ristance song is that they're basilly llg the brish gay, and s lovely.
The Gay Liberatn Front had been anisg diss and danc for 18 months prr to the march, and 1, 200 people scend on Kensgton town hall shortly before Christmas 1970 for Bra’s first publicly advertised gay dis, fillg the place to pacy, wh 500 revellers turned away at the door. There were no LGBTQ+ bands, and no artists makg rerds for LGBTQ+ people; at least most of the acts playg those early danc – cludg David Bowie, Hawkwd and Pk Fairi – were sympathetic to the e of gay liberatn, but the discs beg spun were the same on you would hear the ntemporary sgl would soon change, and as annual Pri events began to spread across the untry, artists and songwrers spired by the gay liberatn movement began to make mic specifilly for LGBTQ+ dienc.
THE FIRST IRISH GAY SONG
The morn gay rights movement began as a rt at Stonewall -- celebrate Pri wh the LGBTQ prott songs. * irish gay song *
Everyone Involved – A Gay Song (1972)It’s a toss-up as to what would be the world’s first gay liberatn rerd: many would argue that Stone Wall Natn by Male Davis, wrten March 1971, predat the UK release A Gay Song, first performed that year.
But wh lyrics by Gay Liberatn Front activist Alan Wakeman, A Gay Song is the first rerdg by a Brish act to explicly addrs the LGBTQ+ muny a posive appeared on the album Eher/Or by a llective known as Everyone Involved, and featured volunteers om the GLF on vols. Coverg them such as elogy, world peace and ee love a rog folk-rock arrangement, Eher/Or also clud a send gay-themed song, A Sad Song, sung by Gillian Dickson of folk quartet the Solid Brish Hat Band.
“Alan and I were always keen to make our songs reflect somethg of our personali and we liked the tle Do You Like Boys, which uld appeal equally to gays as well as girls.
RED PETERS - THE TWO GAY IRISHMEN LYRICS
Red Peters - The Two Gay Irishmen Lyrics. Where seamen ph up stools They were gigglg like the Coleens And playg pocket pool They washed their balls stout that night And bid * irish gay song *
”Acrdg to Briley, “to promote this song we were flown to Germany on a tour of what turned out to be gay diss”; Gay News highlighted s “potential to bee a dis favoure”. Post-Starbuck, Briley and Engle appeared on the soundtrack to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Briley has wrten songs for dozens of artists cludg Monkee Peter Tork, Céle Dn, ‘NSync and Pat Elg – Don’t Leave Your Lover Lyg Around (Dear) (1974)As mp as a pantomime dame, drippg nuendo and plete wh pub piano and a chos of A’t She Sweet, this sgle sparked ntroversy: Elg’s team suggted that the BBC had dropped plans to feature Don’t Leave Your Lover Lyg Around (Dear) as rerd of the week on the David Haton show bee of the obvly gay lyrics, leadg his manager to veigle his way to Broadstg Hoe and p pi of Gay News on noticeboards throughout the buildg. Dpe his efforts, the sgle was a flop, and no rerd that told a story om an LGBTQ+ pot of view would bother the Brish charts until 1978 – (Sg If You’re) Glad to be Gay by the Tom Robson band, which charted (as part of the Risg Free EP) Febary 1978, reachg number 18.
Valento – I Was Born This Way (1975)Outsi members-only clubs, pub backrooms and the ocsnal gay-iendly dner-and-dance venue, there were no permanent gay diss Bra until Bang!
IRISH AND GAY LYRICS
Featurg Lyra, Maverick Sabre, SSMMÜTT, Enola Gay, Stevie Appleby, Cooks But We're Chefs, Owls, Jar Jar Jr, Travi The Native, riawaavy * irish gay song *
It was the only 45 issued on Gaiee rerds, found by the song’s -thor Bunny Jon, a bety salon owner wh several gay employe. “I named the label Gaiee bee I wanted to give gay people a label they n ll home, ” she once said.
Advertised as “the first gay dis sgle”, Billboard magaze noted that “feelgs on the disc are mixed, as some thk is offensive; others feel is a great cut. Valento himself told Gay News: “It’s jt mic wh a msage.